The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-04-06
Raising Calves.
MORE SKIM-MILK CALVES.

MORE SklM-MlLh CALVES.
My experience in feeding skim-milk to
calves has been very satisfactory. / have
obtained from fifty to sixty pounds gain per
calf in month upon skm-mlk warmed to
one hundred degrees and supplemented
with boiled ground oats and a light feed of
hay, and | have not been troubled with
securing since / ceased to overfeed l con-
slider cold milk and overlooking to be the
most fruitful sources of scours in young
calves 1t is so hard to let well enough
alone, and the theory that calf that is
thriving upon six or seven quarts of milk
per day will do twice as well upon twelve
or fourteen is a very seductive one. That
it is also very expensive can be easily DEM
onstrated by any one who cares to try it.
The digestive powers of young calves vary
so much, even among animals of the same
breed, that it is difficult to make an exact
rule as to the amount that should be fed at
first. One must be guided by his knowledge
of the different animals. There is no branch
of farm economy where greater need of
skill and judgment are required than in
feeding and caring for calves. Too often it
is left to boys and careless help, who have
no interest whatever. My method is to
feed not over six quarts the first month";
three quarts at feed, warmed to the tenn
perature of one hundred degrees Tested by
the thermometer, not by the finger), adding
after the first fortnight about gill of boiled
ground oats. Sweet hay (not rowen) is
kept before them all the time. l have
found Jersey calves the hardest to learn to
eat it, and Holsteins and their grades the
easiest, but they will all begin to eat early
if it is kept before them from the first. 1t
must be changed often, as it soon gets
tainted with their breath, and the sooner
they can be taught to eat hay the better
they will thrive.-H, H.. F..
RAISING CALVES ON sKIM-MILK.
want to supplement with laxseed-meal
the skim-milk from my Cooley creamer, but
it stops up the valves in Smalls calf-feeder
so that my calves can't feed from it. My
best calves were kept for three months ON
foster mother, good native or grade COW
that gave poor test on cream, and got a
start that even neglect afterwards did not
seem to overcome. But with warm skim
milk, no matter with what supplemented, l
have never been able to get such thrift and
growth, The fact is, have about come to
doubt the economy of feeding skim-milk to
valuable Jersey calves. 1 have in mind a
Jersey breeder in a neighboring town who
last year was very unsuccessful with his
calves when feeding them skim-milk from
Cooley creamer, as nearly all of them
secured badly; this year, on the cows, his
calves are sleek, healthy and happy. The
theory seems to be all right that we can
make an equally nutritious food by substi-
tuting something else for the cream or fats
taken from the skim-mlk, but in my case, at
least, it does not work wholly satisfactorily
should be pleased to hear from some one
who is raising good calves on skim-milk, OF
by natures method and more economi-
cally.-W, +. KinSman.
We give above two communications
from the Homestead on raising calves
to which we desire to add few ideas
gained from our experience. And first
we believe that in the natural state the
cows milk, taken in the way nature has
provided, is the perfect way, from the
time the calf is dropped till it is weaped
second, that the Jersey cow, having